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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · vault · court · face · lie · mug · squash · saw

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mug — to rob
  6. game — wild animals
  7. court — of law
  8. face — to confront
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. squash — to crush
  13. court — for sport
  14. face — part of the head
  15. vault — a safe
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. game — a match
  20. court — of a king
  21. face — to point toward
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com